State Briefs

Man found shot dead in LR park

LITTLE ROCK (AP) - Authorities in Little Rock are investigating the shooting death of a man whose body was found in a park.

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports that the body was discovered by joggers about 7 a.m. Tuesday in a ditch in Little Rock's MacArthur Park. The man appeared to have been shot multiple times.

Little Rock Police Department spokesman Sgt. Cassandra Davis says the victim is a black man in his mid-30s, but his identity isn't yet known. Davis says police were called to the area about midnight in reference to reports of shots being fired, but investigators didn't find anything at the time.

Davis says police have no suspect or motive.

Crews search Arkansas River for missing fishermen

LITTLE ROCK (AP) - Search and rescue crews fanned out along a portion of the Arkansas River on Tuesday to search for a man who fell out of a boat while fishing.

Emergency officials said two anglers were in a boat that capsized Tuesday morning near the Terry Lock and Dam. One of the fishermen was able to swim to shore but that the other person swam in the opposite direction, The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported.

The Pulaski County Sheriff's Department says the second person had not been located after three hours of searching and that a search by deputies, fire crews and the Arkansas State Police was being suspended.

"They would've spotted him by now. Either he's made it to shore and he's somewhere else, or it would become a recovery," Little Rock Fire Captain Jason Weaver said.

The sheriff's office and the Little Rock Fire Department sent boats into the water to aid in the search and the state police brought in a helicopter.

The anglers' names were not immediately released.

Weaver said the boat flipped about 1½ miles south of the Terry Lock and Dam.

Saline Co. sheriff reverses course on retirement

BENTON (AP) - The sheriff in Saline County, who was convicted of public drunkenness, has changed his mind about retiring.

Sheriff Bruce Pennington said last week he would retire Oct. 1. Now he says he wants to serve out his term and leave office in 2015.

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports that Pennington delivered a letter to a county official on Monday that set forth his intentions.

The Saline County Quorum Court has called a special meeting for 8 p.m. Tuesday to discuss the sheriff's change of heart.

Last week, Pennington pleaded guilty to resisting arrest and public intoxication. The charges followed his arrest in late June.

Saline County Judge Lanny Fite called the situation "bizarre," but didn't want to discuss what might happen at the Tuesday night meeting.

Man accused of bleach assault

LITTLE ROCK (AP) - A Little Rock man is facing an aggravated assault charge after allegedly pouring bleach on a companion at an Arkansas Wal-Mart.

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports that 23-year-old Lontrell Johnson is facing a charge of aggravated assault on a family or household member.

Authorities say Johnson got angry and poured a bottled of bleach on the mother of his child at about 4:30 p.m. Monday at a North Little Rock Wal-Mart.

An off-duty officer met the victim in the back of the store. A police report says the woman smelled of bleach and was flushing her eyes with water. It's not clear whether the victim needed medical attention.

Johnson remains in the Pulaski County jail. Bail not has been set. A preliminary court appearance is planned for later Tuesday.

Ark. AG reaches settlement with Nevada-based firm

LITTLE ROCK (AP) - Attorney General Dustin McDaniel says Arkansas has reached a settlement with a Nevada telecommunications company accused of continuing to bill consumers after they had cancelled their long-distance telephone services.

McDaniel filed suit against Consumer Telcom, Inc., in 2010, alleging the company charged for "bundled" services that many Arkansans were unaware they had purchased.

In the settlement, the company agreed to make clear what type of services they are receiving and provide explicit instructions on how to cancel them. Consumer Telcom will also pay the state $20,000 and reimburse attorneys' fees and costs.

An employee in the 'Complaints' department of Telcom - who was called by AP only after a working media line was unable to be found -said Tuesday she would pass a request seeking comment along to the company.

2 Dems file to run for state Senate seat

LITTLE ROCK (AP) - A Jonesboro businessman and a former state legislator have filed to run for the Democratic nomination for a northeast Arkansas state Senate seat vacated by a lawmaker who resigned over ethics violations.

Tuesday marked the opening of the filing period for the Senate seat vacated by former Sen. Paul Bookout, a Democrat who resigned last month after the state Ethics Commission said he spent thousands from his campaign on clothing, home theater equipment and other personal items.

Steve Rockwell and former state Sen. Gene Roebuck filed paperwork to run for the Democratic nomination.

Several other candidates have announced bids.

The primary will be held on Oct. 8, with a runoff on Nov. 12 if necessary. The special election will be held Jan. 14.

The filing deadline is noon Friday.

FS hosting to open urban deer hunt season

FORT SMITH (AP) - Fort Smith is joining the list of cities that allow properly licensed hunters to kill deer within the city limits.

A special bow-hunting season opens Saturday at Chaffee Crossing and ends Jan. 31.

To qualify for the hunt, archers are required to pass the International Bowhunter Education course, have insurance and pass a shooting proficiency test.

City leaders say as many as 100 people could hunt during the five-month season.

Archers can also hunt in any Arkansas town that allows urban hunting, including Bull Shoals, Cherokee Village, Fairfield Bay, Horseshoe Bend, Lakeview and Russellville.

The goal is to reduce the number of deer in the communities, so there are no bag limits. The state asks that hunters donate their first kills to the Arkansas Hunters Feeding the Hungry program.

Arkansas sets aside T-shirt gun after man injured

FAYETTEVILLE (AP) - The University of Arkansas says it won't use a T-shirt launcher at War Memorial Stadium this weekend after a marketing intern was injured at last weekend's game.

The school said Tuesday a pneumatic launcher was lying on the artificial turf when it discharged Saturday. An intern was treated at a hospital and released.

A loud explosion rang from the southeastern corner of Razorback Stadium during the first quarter of Saturday's game with Louisiana-Lafayette. Medical personnel were seen later responding to an injured person who was taken away on a stretcher.

The school did not identify the intern and said it would not comment beyond saying it would not use the launcher at Saturday's game against Samford in Little Rock. A decision on future use will be decided later.

University trustees heavy on bank side

LITTLE ROCK (AP) - More than half of the trustees serving on Arkansas' publicly supported four-year universities are bankers or have significant ties with banks.

A review of state records by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette shows that of 29 trustees, 17 reported that they or their spouses either work for banks or serve on bank boards.

This could mean that a potential large number of board members recuse themselves from votes on some financial issues.

Under Arkansas law, Gov. Mike Beebe appoints the trustees. He says he didn't realize so many of them were involved in banking and that there was no plan on his part to specifically name bankers as trustees.

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State Briefs

Authorities in Little Rock are investigating the shooting death of a man whose body was found in a park.